INSTITUTE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY

EMEDDED SYSTEMS

PROJECT LAB REPORT

MUNEEB-UR-REHMAN 160401003
DILAWAIZ 160401007

EE-15-A
Contents
....................................................................................................................................1
Introduction ................................................................................................................4
Project Abstract:.....................................................................................................4
Motivation ..............................................................................................................5
Objectives & Goals ................................................................................................5
THEORY....................................................................................................................7
PERSISTENCE OF VISION .................................................................................7
VOXELS ................................................................................................................7
MULTIPLEXING ..................................................................................................8
PERSISTENCE OF VISION .................................................................................8
LED CUBE ............................................................................................................9
Hardware ....................................................................................................................9
LEDs ......................................................................................................................9
MICROCONTROLLERS ....................................................................................10
ARDUINO MEGA2560 ......................................................................................11
Transistor BC547 .................................................................................................12
RIBBON CABLES ..............................................................................................12
SIL HEADERS ....................................................................................................13
CAPACITORS .....................................................................................................13
CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR .................................................................................13
TERMINAL BLOCK ..........................................................................................14
ZIF SOCKET .......................................................................................................14
PCB board ............................................................................................................15
VERO BOARD ....................................................................................................15
RESISTORS 330 OHM .......................................................................................16
CONSTRUCTION ...................................................................................................16
PROTEUS SIMULATION ..................................................................................16
DESIGNING PCB ...............................................................................................16
 ETCHING PCB................................................................................................... 16
DESIGNING LED CUBE ...................................................................................16
CODE .......................................................................................................................17
SCHEMATICS ........................................................................................................17
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................17
Introduction

Project Abstract:

Our project consists of building a 3-dimensional 5x5x5 LED cube that will be able
to display various graphics through the concept of persistence of vision. This paper
will describe the goals and objectives, specification and requirements, research,
design, prototype creation, as well as test and evaluation of the 3D LED cube.
Coming from a collective interest in the hobby/industry of lighting, the completed
3D LED cube will act as an aesthetically pleasing display, capable of creating a
variety of dynamic and unique visual animations in three-dimensional space.
Furthermore, this project will serve as a proof-of-concept, providing a broad-based
exploration into an exciting technology.

Operating at a resolution of 5x5x5 voxels (three-dimensional pixels), the cube will

utilize 125 LED’s and operates based upon the concept of persistence of vision
(rapid blinking to give the appearance of a solid light source). By keeping the delay
of 2ms the frequency of blinking of LEDs is 500 Hz. the cube will be able to
display seemingly continuous graphics.

Arduino MEGA microcontroller is used in project. Each of the 25 I/O pins of

Arduino Mega2560 used can supply 40mA of current which is used to drive the

LEDs. multiplexing
Motivation

The 3D LED display is of particular interest to the group due to the desire to
experiment with novel ways of driving and interacting with large RGB LED cube
displays. The 3D LED display includes a variety of design aspects that appeal
specifically to the group members. The electrical design, embedded system
development, and software development provide well-defined areas of interest to
each group member.

Objectives & Goals

This task of designing a 5x5x5 LED cube was undertaken as a project for our 4th
semester Embedded Lab project. The objective of this project was to implement
and understand better what we have learned over the course of 6 months.

The physical structure of the cube will be sturdy, with a professional appearance
while maintaining both mechanical and electrical integrity. Each RGB LED will be
correctly soldered, operating in full 24-bit color. While the project will be
completed with a budget of Rs.1500, a flexible maximum ceiling of up to Rs.2000
will be in place, providing for any unseen costs or further capabilities the group
may choose to add. The entire cube will function as one physical unit, with all
PCB’s and circuitry contained within the cube’s structure.

While both group members will be assigned responsibility for the various aspects
of design, each member will acquire proficiency in the cross-disciplinary skills
required for the design and creation of the 3D LED cube. These skills include
software design (programming), hardware design (PCB design), and circuitry
hardware (soldering/power). In addition, a familiarity with all relevant technology
such as LEDs, microcontrollers, and LED drivers will be attained by each member.

 The goal of this design is to be able to output and modify the LED array fast
enough to see a persistent image:
 The first issue that must be dealt with is the physical construction of the
array. The array will be 5x5x5 LEDs, accounting for a total of 125 LEDs
and other devices such as transistors. Due to lack of accessibility we will
have to make certain that each LED is functional and stays so throughout the
construction.
 A sturdy base will also have to be provided for the array, as the construction
doesn’t allow for a large amount of structural integrity. A Vero board is
proposed to deal with this issue since it can support the structure while also
providing connections for the circuit as well.
 A PCB board was designed that houses the microcontroller and transistors of
the circuit. Hence dividing the project into two parts, Vero board containing
the cube and connections for rows and columns and a PCB board that
contains the microcontroller itself and other electrical components.
 Due to the very large number of LEDs that need to be used at once, current
considerations will have to be taken into account, verifying that we have
enough power to supply a good level of luminescence so that we may not
only turn on all LEDs but also modify them through pulse width modulation.
 The microprocessor will be in charge of user inputs and general code
development for the graphics. It will process all inputs and verify what set of
parameters need to be outputted to the FPGA. It will also control the pulse
width modulation that will be used to modify the dimness of the LEDs
  The microcontroller will process the various inputted signals and implement
the digital hardware necessary to functionally modify the LED array. Here
we are looking to make the code as fast as possible, so as not to create a
bottle neck in our refresh rate.
 Since each LED needs to be controlled individually, memory issues will
have to be considered when adding more graphic options. Otherwise, we
will have to find ways to streamline our code to allow for more variety
without a significant increase in the memory needed.

THEORY

PERSISTENCE OF VISION

VOXELS
Just as a pixel represents a value on a regular grid in two-dimension,
similarly a voxel represents a value on a regular grid in three-dimension.

Our led cube consists of 125 voxels as each cube represents one voxel.
MULTIPLEXING
Multiplexing is the generic term used to describe the operation of sending
one or more analogue or digital signals over a common transmission line at
different times or speeds and as such, the device we use to do just that is
called a Multiplexer.

The multiplexer, shortened to “MUX” or “MPX”, is a combinational logic

circuit designed to switch one of several input lines through to a single
common output line by the application of a control signal. Multiplexers
operate like very fast acting multiple position rotary switches connecting or
controlling multiple input lines called “channels” one at a time to the output.

Multiplexers, or MUX’s, can be either digital circuits made from high speed
logic gates used to switch digital or binary data or they can be analogue
types using transistors, MOSFET’s or relays to switch one of the voltage or
current inputs through to a single output.

PERSISTENCE OF VISION
Your eye and brain retain a visual impression for about 1/30 of a second
which is equal to 33ms (The exact time depends on the brightness of the
image.) This ability to retain an image is known as persistence of vision.

Persistence of vision refers to the optical illusion whereby multiple discrete

images blend into a single image in the human mind and believed to be the
explanation for motion perception in cinema and animated films. Like other
illusions of visual perception, it is produced by certain characteristics of
the visual system.
 In our LED cube we have generated a delay 2ms between illumination of
each LED. Hence each LED turns on after a delay of 2ms. Since the delay
time is considerably less as compared to refresh time of eye i.e. 33ms our
eye perceives that all the LEDs turn on at once.

LED CUBE
A LED cube is like an LED screen, but it is special in that it has a third
dimension, making it 3D. think of it as many transparent low-resolution
displays. In normal displays it is normal to try to stack the pixels as close as
possible in order to make it look better, but in cube one must be able to see
through it and spacing between voxels is needed. The spacing is a trade-off
between how easy the layers behind it is seen and voxel fidelity

Hardware

LEDs
Light emitting diodes are diodes which produce light when current passes
through in the right direction. Just like any diode the other direction is
completely blocked. LEDs are nowadays commonly used as light sources
because they are smaller, very efficient and have a longer lifetime.

Crystal diffused LEDs are required for this project. These LEDs are
translucent by have a cloudy texture that helps in diffusing the light more
evenly on the surface of the covering of LED so that each LED can be
observed as separate voxels. Since we have connected 330 ohm resistors in
series with each led and supply of 5V is given through the microprocessor,
each led is approximately drawing 15mA of current.

MICROCONTROLLERS
Microcontrollers are small computers in a small package. They contain
several things such as a processor, ram and programmable memory and most
last but not least inputs and outputs. Microcontrollers are used in most
automatically controlled devices e.g. microwaves, cellphones and alarms.
They are very convenient to use for products produced in huge quantities
because they can be programmed very quickly. And they are very small
compared to previous techniques in which processor ram and programmable
memory are separated. These computers in a chip are nowadays also used in
mp3 players in which another function is very useful, this function is the
sleep function, microcontrollers are able to wake up immediately on the
touch of a button.

ARDUINO MEGA2560
The Arduino MEGA 2560 is designed for projects that require more I/O
lines, more sketch memory and more RAM. With 54 digital I/O pins, 16
analog inputs and a larger space for your sketch it is the recommended board
for 3D printers and robotics projects. This gives your projects plenty of room
and opportunities maintaining the simplicity and effectiveness of the
Arduino platform. This document explains how to connect your Mega2560
board to the computer and upload your first sketch.

If you want to program your Arduino Mega 2560 you need to install
the Arduino Desktop IDE. The USB connection with the PC is necessary to
program the board and not just to power it up. The Mega2560 automatically
draw power from either the USB or an external power supply.

The recommended voltage for Arduino MEGA2560 to run is 7-15 volt,

however it also works perfectly on 5V supplied by a USB port as in our
case. Each I/O pin can supply up to 40mA.
Transistor BC547
In this project the transistor is used merely as a switch to allow more current
to pass through the circuit.

RIBBON CABLES
These are cables that let through electricity. This can be as a power supply or
as a matter of signals. We have used these cables to supply electricity to
different layers and columns of our LED cube.
SIL HEADERS
Single in line female headers are used in this project which serve as
mounting points for our ribbon cables.

CAPACITORS
Capacitors are used to for many different things. But in this project, they are
mainly used as stabilizers for example between a ground and 5v wire.
Otherwise the current might blow the microcontroller.

CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR
Crystals are used together with microcontrollers to make them run faster. A
Crystal oscillator is an electronic circuit that uses mechanical resonance of a
vibrating crystal to create an electrical signal with one exact frequency.
TERMINAL BLOCK
A terminal block is a screw-type electrical connector where the wires are
clamped down to the metal part by a screw. It is a connector which allows
more than one circuit to connect to another circuit. It often contains two long
aluminum or copper strips that are designed to connect different
components.

ZIF SOCKET
Zero insertion force (ZIF) is a type of IC socket or electrical connector that
requires very little force for insertion. With a ZIF socket, before the IC is
inserted, a lever or slider on the side of the socket is moved, pushing all the
sprung contacts apart so that the IC can be inserted with very little force -
generally the weight of the IC itself is sufficient and no external downward
force is required. The lever is then moved back, allowing the contacts to
close and grip the pins of the IC. ZIF sockets are much more expensive than
standard IC sockets and also tend to take up a larger board area due to the
space taken up by the lever mechanism. Therefore, they are only used when
there is a good reason to do so. The purpose of installing it in the beginning
was to house the PIC 16F877A microcontroller before we shifted to Arduino
Mega2560.

PCB board
A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically
connects electronic components or electrical components
using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from one or more
sheet layers of copper laminated onto and/or between sheet layers of a non-
conductive substrate. Components are generally soldered onto the PCB to
both electrically connect and mechanically fasten them to it.

PCBs require additional design effort to lay out the circuit, but
manufacturing and assembly can be automated. Specialized CAD software is
available to do much of the work of layout. Mass-producing circuits with
PCBs is cheaper and faster than with other wiring methods, as components
are mounted and wired in one operation. Large numbers of PCBs can be
fabricated at the same time, and the layout only has to be done once. PCBs
can also be made manually in small quantities, with reduced benefits.

The PCB contains most of the electronic devices of our project such
transistors, resistors, capacitors etc.

VERO BOARD
Veroboard is a brand of stripboard, a pre-formed circuit board material of
copper strips on an insulating bonded paper board which was originated and
 developed in the early 1960s by the Electronics Department of Vero
Precision Engineering Ltd (VPE). It was introduced as a general-purpose
material for use in constructing electronic circuits - differing from purpose-
designed printed circuit boards (PCBs) in that a variety of electronic circuits
may be constructed using a standard wiring board.

RESISTORS 330 OHM

A number of 330ohm resistors were used in this project. These resistors are
needed to prevent a led from getting to much current. This would kill the
LED. It’s the same case with the Infrared LED.

CONSTRUCTION

PROTEUS SIMULATION
The project was first design and simulated on a power simulation tool called
Proteus 8.1 PRO. Our first intent was to design the project using PIC
16F877A microcontroller but we realized that it would not be possible to
design the project in given amount of time using this microcontroller so we
shifted to Arduino Mega2560 since we had already used it a few times in
recent projects. With the help of Arduino, we were finally able to obtain the
output that was required for the LED cube. The Proteus simulation of the
project with both PIC and Arduino are given below:

DESIGNING PCB

ETCHING PCB

DESIGNING LED CUBE

CODE

SCHEMATICS

REFERENCES
https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/persistence-of-vision
https://playground.arduino.cc/Main/ArduinoPinCurrentLimitations